Just Curious....

A year back Steve took down this bird house because an animal had tried to claw its way into the nest. I had forgotten about the bird house until last week when it caught my eye.

I went to pick it up and to my surprise I could see two small eggs inside.



The other day, I went out and picked up the bird house and brought it to the upper deck. It didn't take me long to get the latch undone. The trickier part was to get the door open without crushing the eggs.

After taking some time Steve and I were able to get the eggs out; to our surprise they were in really good shape. We do a lot of backyard bird watching, but we have no idea about their eggs. Nevertheless, it was fun to dig out the nest and eggs and take a peek at their handiwork.



Isn't it amazing how these little creatures build their nest? This was a fairly large nest and quite compact. Every twig, feather, piece of plastic, and dried grass was knitted together perfectly.

And as you can see Levi was there to check everything out too! The birdhouse has been cleaned and we hope to get the opening plated and the house hung up by springtime. Just in time for another family to move in.

Spiders Everywhere: Indoor and Outdoor

Over the last five years I have come to notice a ritual that takes place in my family room every August. Almost every evening, without fail, I will see a very black, eight-legged spider move quickly across the family room floor.

I always thought spiders came out in October due to the colder weather but that is not true,but a myth.

I decided to Google why spiders appear in late August/early summer and to my surprise Washington.edu had a blog about common myths.

Truly it is a myth that spiders come into your house when the temperatures drop. Most house spiders (indoor spiders) never go outside to live, while outdoor spider never come inside to live (and if they do, they will usually die). Isn't that reassuring.

So could I conclude that the very same species that crosses my family room floor every year lives in my house somewhere? So you might ask, why then do I only see them appear in the month of August? Well that is because they are wandering around looking for a mate. I was told a few years back that it was the male spider running from the female because she kills them after the mating season. As I see it, if they cross my path he's dead either way.

Meet The Neighborhood Cat ..... Socks

Meet Socks, truly the neighborhood cat. This little gal showed up in our backyard over the summer. It took us quite some time to figure out who she belonged to but in the meantime there were many of us (primarily my next door neighbor and myself who took to looking after her.

This morning, as I let Levi out to do his morning sniffing, we found Socks in the planter. This seems to be her choice of residency when she is left out all night long and needs a place to hunker down. I am not necessarily happy that she picked my planter, but what is the gal to do when her humans leave her out all night?



Immediately, Levi's sense of curiosity kicks in and he slowly approaches the cat. As many times as I have told Levi to leave her alone he always has to go and "check her out". And as we have found out,(as Levi has been swatted on the nose)she has some very sharp claws; so we tend to be very careful when we approach her. Don't we Levi?



This morning Levi caught her off guard and she was startled at first; but once she realized it was just Levi, and that he isn't much of a threat, she settled back down into her warm spot.



Socks is a beautiful cat and although you can't see her feet, you can probably guess how she got her name; all four of her paws are white. Occasionally, Steve slips up and calls her "Boots" and the neighbor renamed her "Jesse", since she seems to respond and like that name better, as the story is told.

Socks is pretty much welcomed around for the most part, but I do get a bit disturbed when she swats at my dog and tries to eat my birds.

One morning I came around the corner just in time to see her catch a bird. I grabbed Levi and tucked him under my arm and down the stairs we flew. I screamed, "let go of that bird, you are not eating him on my watch". All I could see was a spread of feathers coming out of her mouth. I sicked Levi on her and she dropped that bird and ran. Thankfully, the bird was still alive and Levi thought it was all a game.

Unfortunately, Levi and I can not guard the birds 24/7 and we have found the remains of one or two since she's been around. I can say on Socks behalf, that she is super quick and I suppose if you had to fend for yourself most of the time, you would have to learn to survive.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this story about our exceptionally friendly neighborhood cat...Socks.

God's Canvas

Truly the sky is God's canvas. I never get bored with the beautiful sunrises, the colorful sunsets, the marine layers that infiltrate our evenings throughout the year, the double rainbows and the sound of the waves crashing onto shore. God has given us such a beautiful place to live. Thank you Lord.

Steve and his Dad

I can't believe I let this picture slip by. This picture of Steve and his Dad was snapped Memorial Day Weekend at church. I don't get to see Steve in his uniform much anymore since he retired in 2003. It is only on special holidays throughout the year that he will shave his face and appear in uniform. Thank you honey and thank you dad for serving our God and our Country and its citizens Love you guys!

Backyard Visitor

The other afternoon Steve and I caught sight of a Stellar Blue Jay in our backyard. He would take turns gathering seed on the back deck to flying over to the bird bath to get a drink. The last time we saw a blue jay in our yard was this time five years ago. I hear they can be a mean bird, but he sure is pretty.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood....

Well after one year of waiting, due to Steve's schedule or the weather, Steve was finally able to use his 45th Birthday present - A gift certificate from PilotJourney.com (see old blog post from August 2009). After locating an airport that would accept Steve's Discovery Flight Certificate we scheduled his demo flight. Thank you Regal Air at Paine Field!



The guy on the right is the pilot (the guy on the left fueled the plane). When I first saw Mike's picture I was very concerned about how old he was (which would indicate how much experience he has) since he looked so young. I had no bones about asking him how old he was either after I met him. Thankfully, he is in his late twenties and has been a flight instructor over four years. Okay, so that made me feel a little better and a lot older! Steve actually got to take off, but not land. The plane was a Cesna 152, two-seater only.



After we were finished at the airport, Steve and I decided to take the ferry home since there was a major back up on I-5 due to an accident. So on our way home we stopped at Ivar's.



I have never eaten there, but had heard their food was great! So we took a stab at it and Steve ordered clamp strips and chips with clam chowder on the side and I ordered salmon and chips. Although the meals were fried, they were yummy!!


While we were waiting on our food, I was able to take a picture of the sound. The wind was blowing so the water was a bit choppy.


Overall, Steve, Levi and I had a great afternoon. The ride was nice, the weather was perfect, the food was good and the time together unforgettable. It really was nice just to get away for a few hours.

Until next time...

Frozen Mocha Torte

This past Sunday, our church held a Men's Dessert Contest after the evening service. There were nineteen fantastic looking entries.

My husband signed up and after looking through every cookbook we owned, he decided on the Frozen Mocha Torte. There was one main rule to the contest and simply stated: The "man" could not get any assistance from a/the "woman"; therefore, this creation was all up to Steve and his ability to follow the recipe.

Steve was in the kitchen for two hours working his magic and occasionally, to my delight, he would seek me out and let me taste his concoction.

Lets pause here for a moment and picture with me a mama who is proud of her child for accomplishing a special project? Oh how she would beam! Well, I must say that was me, the wife beaming over her husband's triumph. When Steve removed the spring-form pan from around his torte, I couldn't have been prouder. It all stayed in place!

Later that evening, after the competition, we got to partake. Not only did Steve's torte look great, but it also tasted a-m-a-z-i-n-g-l-y yummy! I am sad to say that his dessert did not take 1st, 2nd or 3rd place; but in my book, he gets the trophy!

Great job honey! Looks like you will be making more desserts in your future :)